Cel-e-bra-tion time...come on!

Today, I celebrate.  Many of you know that I am a Reading Recovery teacher in training.  And today...my first student successfully discontinued the program!  After 20 weeks of intense intervention, she made it.  As is protocol, I cannot 'test out' my own students in order to keep objective and preserve the integrity of the data.  Needless to say, I was very nervous as my wonderful colleague, Josie, assessed my little gal.  At the time, I was working with another student, trying not to listen to my gal reading on the other side of the room divider.  I knew she could do it, but still I wondered if being with another teacher would make her nervous.  Would she freeze?  Forget to orchestrate all three sources of meaning?  Stumble on known words?  Let's face it...I was downright scared!

We work so hard to move these struggling readers forward and it's difficult not to take their setbacks personally.  At the same time, we are reluctant to take any credit for their strides.  Today, as I sat anxiously waiting for Josie to finish, I tried to focus on the little guy seated next to me. No use.  I felt like I was back in graduate school waiting to met my professor to discuss the first draft of my thesis.  Not a great feeling!  How silly, though.  I knew I had done my best with my little gal.  I knew she had done her best.  Still, I so badly wanted her to successfully discontinue (pass) the program!  I wanted it for her, not for me.  Discontinuing means she will no longer lag behind her peers in reading.  It means she can feel good about herself as a reader.  It means that we, at Renaissance, are able to meet the needs of our struggling readers and are giving them strategies that will help them for their entire lives! High stakes!

Josie came out from behind the divider, and before I even had time to say a word, she kissed me on the cheek.  "She passed with flying colors" she said.  I cried.  I'm crying now.  Happy tears.  Big, sloppy, happy, crocodile tears!

My first Reading Recovery student!  Yay for her.  Yay for me.  Yay for US!  Another child got the key that opens the door to...everything.  And now, anything is possible!

No wine tonight (just ice water in my plastic Starbucks cup).

~Cab Lover